#Alternative Learning

[glowettee]

hi there! im a fan of your page 💕

can you give me the best studying techniques?

hi angel!! @mythicalmarion tysm for asking about study techniques 🤍 i'm so excited to share my secret methods that helped me maintain perfect grades while still having a dreamy lifestyle + time for self-care!! and thank you for being a fan of my blog, it means everything to me. <3

~ ♡ my non-basic study secrets that actually work ♡ ~

(don't mind the number formatting)

the neural bridging technique this is literally my favorite discovery!! instead of traditional note-taking, i create what i call "neural bridges" between different subjects. for example, when studying both literature + history, i connect historical events with the literature written during that time. i use a special notebook divided into sections where each page has two columns - one for each subject. the connections help you understand both subjects deeper + create stronger memory patterns!!

here's how i do it:

example:

left column: historical event

right column: literary connection

middle: draw connecting lines + add small insights

bottom: write how they influenced each other

the shadow expert method this changed everything for me!! i pretend i'm going to be interviewed as an expert on the topic i'm studying. i create potential interview questions + prepare detailed answers. but here's the twist - i record myself answering these questions in three different ways:

basic explanation (like i'm talking to a friend)

detailed analysis (like i'm teaching a class)

complex discussion (like i'm at a conference)

this forces you to understand the topic from multiple angles + helps you explain concepts in different ways!!

the reverse engineering study system instead of starting with the basics, i begin with the most complex example i can find and work backwards to understand the fundamentals. for example, in calculus, i start with a complicated equation + break it down into smaller parts until i reach the basic concepts.

my process looks like:

find the hardest example in the textbook

list every concept needed to understand it

create a concept map working backwards

study each component separately

rebuild the complex example step by step

the sensory anchoring technique this is seriously game-changing!! i associate different types of information with specific sensory experiences:

theoretical concepts - study while standing

factual information - sitting at my desk

problem-solving - walking slowly

memorization - gentle swaying

review - lying down

your body literally creates muscle memory associated with different types of learning!!

the metacognition mapping strategy i created this method where i track my understanding using what i call "clarity scores":

level 1: can recognize it

level 2: can explain it simply

level 3: can teach it

level 4: can apply it to new situations

level 5: can connect it to other topics

i keep a spreadsheet tracking my clarity levels for each topic + focus my study time on moving everything to level 5!!

the information architecture method instead of linear notes, i create what i call "knowledge buildings":

foundation: basic principles

first floor: key concepts

second floor: applications

top floor: advanced ideas

roof: real-world connections

each "floor" must be solid before moving up + i review from top to bottom weekly!!

the cognitive stamina training this is my absolute secret weapon!! i use a special interval system based on brain wave patterns:

32 minutes of focused study

8 minutes of active recall

16 minutes of teaching the material to my plushies

4 minutes of complete rest

the specific timing helps maintain peak mental performance + prevents study fatigue!!

the synthesis spiral evolution this method literally transformed how i retain information:

create main concept spirals

add branch spirals for subtopics

connect related concepts with colored lines

review by tracing the spiral paths

add new connections each study session

your notes evolve into a beautiful web of knowledge that grows with your understanding!!

these methods might seem different from typical study advice, but they're based on how our brains actually process + store information!! i developed these through lots of research + personal experimentation, and they've helped me maintain perfect grades while still having time for self-care, hobbies + fun!!

sending you the biggest hug + all my good study vibes!! remember that effective studying is about working with your brain, not against it <3

p.s. if you try any of these methods, please let me know how they work for you!! i love hearing about your study journeys!!

xoxo, mindy 🤍

glowettee hotline is still open, drop your dilemmas before the next advice post 💌: https://bit.ly/glowetteehotline

[soilthesimpletruth]

Working with the youth is always a joy and I’m tremendously thankful for the opportunity.

[murderouswidowsmatter]

The problem with “senseless violence” narrative around the UnitedHealthcare CEO is that it ignores the inherent violence of the insurance industry. Denying someone lifesaving care is violence. Subjecting someone to drawn out periods of pain before treatment is violent. The industry is made up of millions of acts of violence everyday, with the CEO at the helm guiding it all. This is not unprovoked and it’s not an overreaction; it is just harder to ignore

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

Of the 19 hijackers who carried out the Sept 11 attacks:

15 were from Saudi Arabia (a powerful/oil-rich country the U.S. works hard to maintain diplomatic relations with)

2 were from the United Arab Emirates (also a powerful/oil-rich country the U.S. works hard to maintain diplomatic relations with)

1 was from Egypt, 1 from Lebanon.

None of the hijackers were from Iraq.

None of the Sept 11 hijackers were Iraqi.

None of the 9/11 hijackers were from Iraq.

[orion-my-rion]

i cannot keep quiet about this anymore.

if you're seeing this, check the reblogs or my "languages" tag for an addition!!

if you're in the US or Canada and interested in learning a language using a free app please get a library card and download MANGO. it's very good and extremely free with a library card (there are many public libraries and universities using the service, so make an account and use the search feature here to find out if there's one near you).

mango currently has 72 available languages and dialects (that's right! different courses for french or canadian french! spanish or latam spanish!). it's set up basically like an audiobook with text. the idea is that the narrator explains the words while you read, and you repeat after them or say the translation out loud when prompted. there's a daily review where you go through flashcards. you can also use the flashcards at your leisure and create your own. at the end of each chapter there's a listening comprehension quiz and a reading comprehension quiz. i cannot emphasize how effective this all is. and it's free with a card.

if you're not in the US or Canada and/or looking for something more like duolingo (don't use duolingo btw tldr they fired translators and replaced them with "ai"), then try BUSUU! it only has 14 languages atm but the lessons are really descriptive and effective. it also has a feature where you can correct other people's open-ended speaking/typing exercises. you set your fluent languages, and exercises by people learning those languages will appear in your feed for you to correct. you can even add others as friends! and, much like duolingo, it has a streak and leaderboard system for you to strive for, minus the guilt-tripping owl.

busuu is free (you watch ads to unlock lessons and they're all skippable after like five seconds), although it also has paid premium/plus versions (i don't use the paid version—the language courses are available for free, and the ad system is Really unobtrusive).

so that's my wisdom for the day. mango and busuu. please check them out :)

[potato-lord-but-not]

why can’t queers just flirt like normal people

[delicourse]

Snake Year

[lucianbarbu]

May Log

Started the month preparing for the big opening of our Balamuc Make A Wish Residency. Because the residency is on of Ana, Răzvan and Livia's wishes for their 10 year anniversary, I was curious to see what other wishes are yet to come true. I also asked Gavril and myself, what do we wish for the studio. I turned each wish into a candle and I put them all in a 16page small zine that you blow on to read. Titled Dorințe Arzătoare (Burning Wishes), it can be found in Balamuc's studio and at their Sit+Read stand this October.

Then I fixed a drawing block by finishing Anca Dima's drawings in the series that she and Ana Kun started, Half&Half. It's a mail art project in which one artist makes 2 halves of two drawings, then invites another artist to finish them. At the end, both of them get to keep one.

Then, together with Ana, I took part in an underground zine making workshop, organised by Minitremu, where Krishan Rajapakshe and Nadira Husain took us through alternative ways to organise and conduct education and learning. After our discussions, I created a series of drawings that can be found in the zine that resulted after the workshop.

Ana and I have also been warming up with this 100x70cm paper, that we drew on both sides, for a larger project that we're cooking up. Starting as a very therapeutic way to break the ice and get to know each other better, we even came up with an artist duo name: LuciAna. Keep an eye out cuz we'll be sharing our next works soon.

With the big opening of the Residency approaching, thinking about the wishes I collected from the Balamucs for their space, I decided to create their dream studio, in the shape of a PollyPocket.

[tarotisland]

Tarot games: an alternative teaching tool.

At Neon Dream we use RWS tarot by Pamela Coleman Smith. I will be writing about this soon enough. There are many reasons why we are using this deck. For now, just trust me….

Game #1

Building connection and confidence using tarot games!

Ok. Your work here is to…

Watch TV.

Yeah, you heard me right. 

Any show or movie that makes you feel warm inside. 

Something you have previously watched might be easier when you are starting this game. 

Hold your cards loosely. Try not to put an expectation on them or on yourself. This is an important step and must not be missed. 

As the show is unfolding, play with the cards but don't look at them except when you feel like…you want to. 

Choose one at a time. 

I find it easiest to split the deck in two and look at the revealed card. 

How you choose your card is up to you. 

Choose a card. 

Can you see how that card resembles the situation or character(s) from the show?

Pause the show for a minute or so to reflect and study the card and how they match. 

Write down what you get, because it's fun to reflect later. 

How many can you match in one program? 

Adaption 2

This game is also fun when you are having a conversation. 

Just hold the cards and look at them. You will notice the cards that come up correspond to the energy in the room. 

Adaption 3

I find this technique helpful when I am in a busy place and there is a lot going on like a party or busy restaurant. It gives me something to do that isnt stress out. It’s also fun to talk to the cards about the emotions and people in the room. 

A very brief overview of what this technique will do that wasn’t included in the article above

*Deepen our internal knowledge about the cards

*Help our human brains to shut off 

*Allow for our higher selves to connect with our everyday experience on earth

*Builds spiritual confidence

*Makes you look cool at parties 

Thanks for playing today!

There is sooo much more to come.

Don’t forget to sign up on our Patreon for

Neon Dream Tarot class!

-

The Underwater Witch

[demidevildonnie]

im jst gonna start posting my doodles on here now. i have transformers brainrot

[head---ache]

man tits

[the-oracle-of-the-lost]

thinking about the effects of Kira being raised in a refugee camp and never (as far as we know) having a formal education never being addressed on the show properly. she's obviously not a scientist or an engineer but her position as first officer still means that she has to supervise all of the engineers and scientists on ds9 to some degree. and as much as the Starfleet characters are uncomfortable with roughing it and the terrorist tactics Kira still needs to use every once in awhile, i think it's a really underrated idea for Kira to be just as uncomfortable with a lot of the high-concept science thrown around between the Starfleet people. she knows all of the practical stuff she needs to – how to repair essential technology, how to fly ships, how to use weaponry – but i could imagine her being really insecure about not fully understanding the underlying concepts the way everyone in Starfleet does.

anyways, i think Jadzia would pick up on Kira's insecurity eventually and would start giving her secret math lessons to get her up to speed so she can join in on all the Science Talk.

[dangel-demon]

She wanted fish, but there were some difficulties. I kindly ask you not to steal my art and not to put them on other sites without my knowledge. Do not use them as dummies, do not assign them to yourself.

[lazarrusrising]

Dean warns Cas that he's a light sleeper with a hair trigger and if he wakes up in attack mode don't take it personal but then spends the whole night clinging to Cas like an octopus and makes little pathetic sounds and grabby hands when Cas goes to get up in the morning

[gunstellations]

In the world I love

_

In a different world

[ilions-end]

before their duel in the iliad, hector lists his capabilities as a warrior to ajax, including "I know how to turn to the right, how to turn to the left the ox-hide tanned into a shield which is my protection in battle; I know how to tread my measures on the grim floor of the war god."

a super interesting annotation by richard martin:

Hektor compares his knowledge of fighting to dance: the "measures" which he treads with his shield are even reflected in the meter and phrasing of these lines. A war dance in armour (pyrrhiké), well known and practiced in Classical times, surely had predecessors, to which these lines may allude.

i am ENRAPTURED by the mental image of hector solemnly performing some kind of ur-pyrrhichios with the other trojan men

(image is the pyrrhic dance by lawrence alma-tadema)